


S is for Selflessly Stubborn Steve

by Laura_Sinele



Series: Fictober 2019 drabbles [21]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Declarations Of Love, Friendship/Love, Graphic Description, Hurt Steve Rogers, M/M, Major Character Injury, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Canon, Protective Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Feels, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 09:14:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laura_Sinele/pseuds/Laura_Sinele
Summary: Steve recovers from an injury and tries to head right back to the battlefield. The Avengers left Bucky in charge to stop him.





	S is for Selflessly Stubborn Steve

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fictober19 prompt 23: "You can't give more than yourself"
> 
> I ignored canon shamelessly. Sue me.

"Buck…?", he asked to the dark lump sitting on the mattress next to him.

"Who else?" 

"Why does my mouth hurt so much?" 

"Because they broke it, Steve", said Bucky on the verge of losing his patience. Steve groaned. 

"I am Captain America, no one's supposed to be able to break my mouth" 

Bucky scoffed. He was the Winter Soldier, he was supposed to be the enemy of all things the Avengers stood for, and here he was, back from the brain wash. Nothing was impossible in this mad new world. Steve should know that by now. 

Steve sat up, clutching at his jaw with one hand. 

"Any other casualties?" 

"No, everybody’s safe and sound, out in the desert of Nevada kicking some alien ass". 

Steve made a face. Bucky knew that face oh so well, that's why he immediately put his metal hand on Steve's chest and pinned him to the mattress. 

"No", he said lowly, menacingly. 

Steve kept his face on, set his aching jaw and grabbed Bucky's wrist, to no avail. Bucky laughed:

"You haven't fought me wearing Shuri's arm yet. I wouldn't recommend it but if you insist, you'll find it interesting" 

"Buck!", exclaimed Steve with a strained voice. 

"What, sunshine?", he replied, making a show of inspecting the nails of his other hand. 

"They. Need… Me!", he said, still trying to get rid of Bucky's hold and managing to win a few inches, discovering on the process many other aching parts of his body. 

Bucky lowered himself, pushing Steve down with his whole forearm and speaking very few inches away from his face. 

"No, Captain. Friday did the math, they don't need you, nor me, nor Hawkeye or the Spider Kid for that matter. So lay back and recover from your wounds, soldier" 

"I have to give them a hand" 

"You've given them enough!", roared Bucky, startling the Cap. "You can't give more than yourself, do you know that? And you've been beaten to a damn pulp, so you are not getting near those things any time soon. Understood?" 

Steve looked at Bucky, noses touching, as if he hardly recognised him. After a while, he nodded, and Bucky let go of him. 

"Are you in the coms?" 

“Yes, of course I’m in the coms”

“How are they doing?”

“Great, they’re wrapping up”

“I don’t believe you, put me on”

Bucky turned towards him rising one menacing finger and Steve raised his palms in surrender, and lay down.

“How long have I been out?”

“A week”

“What?!”

Bucky wasn’t looking at him, he kept an eye on the tablet forecasting the live videos and data streaming from Ironman’s recording system. 

“What do you think? I said they beat you up to a pulp, literally. You had barely a single bone not broken. They put you in Vision’s crib and we all crossed our fingers. When you started to heal, they told me to stay here because they knew no one else would be able to keep you from running to the battlefield upon waking up. They’ve got Strange and the Viking Gods. They do. Not. Need. Us”.

“I got it, I got it, I wasn’t going to say anything”.

“Sure you weren’t”. 

He gave Steve a stern look. Steve felt suddenly very small and thin, knuckles bleeding, and his asthma acting up. 

“I am sorry”, he said. 

“We told you not to go”

“I know, I am sorry”

“You were dead, Steve!", he erupted. "I just went around punching aliens and crying my soul out because you didn’t exist no more! Why did you want me to have my memories back? So I could watch you turn into a puddle of gore and know how you felt when I fell off the train?!”

There was a silence in which Bucky tried to even his breathing and Steve returned his gaze with devastated eyes. After a very long moment, Steve whispered:

“I am very sorry, Buck. I’ll never do it again”.

“Don’t go making wild promises, Cap”, murmured Bucky, turning to the screen again. 

Steve sat up with difficulty, all his aching limbs awake now, and the tender flesh too new to hold him without trembling. He put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, right where the flesh met the metal, and waited for him to look back before talking. 

“I promise. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t seen you fall when I closed my eyes. I know how it feels. I don’t want you to feel that ever again”. 

Bucky had an angry look on his face. He searched Steve’s features carefully before dropping de tablet and wrapping his arms around him. Steve buried his face in Bucky’s neck and breathed deeply, feeling the pressure of his ribcage and Bucky’s embrace, reminding him he was alive. They both were. 

“I love you, Buck”.

“I love you too, Stevie”.


End file.
